APRA Launches Second Consultation on IRRBB Framework in Australia

ByRegulatory News

APRA has commenced the second consultation on the framework for interest rate risk in the banking book (IRRBB) for authorized deposit-taking institutions in Australia. This consultation includes the draft Prudential Standard APS 117 and APRA response to the submissions received in relation to the initial proposals on the revised IRRBB requirements. The comment period for this consultation ends on December 06, 2019. Additionally, the proposed changes of APRA to the reporting and disclosure requirements and a revised prudential practice guide for IRRBB are expected to be consulted on in 2020. APRA is proposing that the revised APS 117 will commence on January 01, 2022, in line with the international agreed Basel committee implementation timeline.

The draft APS 117 sets out the requirements that an authorized deposit-taking institution must meet in relation to interest rate risk in the banking book. The key requirements of this proposed prudential standard are that an institution must have a framework to manage, measure, and monitor interest rate risk in the banking book commensurate with the nature, scale, and complexity of its operations. Additionally, an authorized deposit-taking institutions must apply for approval from APRA to use an internal model for determining the capital charge for IRRBB, if it has sought or received approval from APRA to use an internal ratings-based approach (IRB) to credit risk. This consultation on the IRRBB framework is part of the APRA revisions to the capital framework for authorized deposit-taking institutions to implement "unquestionably strong" capital ratios and the Basel III reforms.

In response to the first consultation on the IRRBB framework that was launched in February 2018, APRA had received seven submissions from authorized deposit-taking institutions and industry associations. Respondents broadly supported the APRA proposal to maintain the internal modeling approach used to calculate the IRRBB capital charge, but raised some concerns in relation to standardizing various aspects of the internal modelling approach. In addition to the proposals consulted on in February 2018, APRA intends to make a number of other amendments to APS 117 to reflect the APRA implementation of the April 2016 Basel standard as well as other changes to strengthen the framework. Depending on the current modeling approach used by IRB institutions, increases in their IRRBB capital charge are expected to result from the proposals to:

Require the use of a 97.5th percentile expected shortfall measure instead of a 99th percentile confidence interval using a value at risk methodology

Require the use of absolute shocks for IRB institutions that currently use relative shocks in their IRRBB models

Place constraints on the duration that an institution can apply to non-maturity deposits according to whether or not it is a core deposit